Explanations
by katie1999
Summary: After Diego returns from Devil's fortress, he's struggling to find some explanations while trying to keep his secret. But what about Zorro's and Victorias's marriage? How can he escape Victoria's anger?
1. Chapter 1

**Explanations**

 **Chapter 1**

Diego was pondering what to tell while he was riding home from Devil's fortress. How could he explain everything that had happened? He had thought to tell his father that he had gotten lost; something his father would have easily accepted if it wasn't for the wedding band on his finger. And how could he explain it to Victoria when she realized she was married to her friend Diego?

Why was everything so complicated? The alcalde was dead, but he didn't know who would replace him. The next alcalde could be even worse than Ramone and it wasn't sensible to reveal Zorro's identity as long as there was a price on his head. No, he had to keep it a secret. But what should they tell everyone?

Victoria married Diego because her dying father wanted to see his daughter married? It was the truth, except that Diego hadn't made an appearance at Devil's Fortress and she had married Zorro and not Diego.

What could he say? How did he get into this mess? He had come to Devil's Fortress to help Victoria free her dying father. When Victoria and her brother had found him, he had been on the brink of death. Ramon and some men had carried Alfonso Escalante out of Devil's Fortress when they had escaped together with the other prisoners. Zorro had joined them when they had brought him to the small chapel next to the prison for the priest to give him the last rites.

Alfonso Escalante knew that he didn't have much time left and he had wanted to give his daughter to the man she loved. As his last request, he wanted to see his daughter married.

With Victoria's father about to die any minute, there hadn't been much time to think. There hadn't even been time to remove the mask. The priest had married them by Alfonso's deathbed just in time for him to give them his blessing.

Sergeant Mendoza and Victoria's brother Ramon had witnessed the ceremony and there was no way to keep it a secret. In exchange for a donation, the priest had offered them two marriage rings that had been left at the church from a canceled wedding and put them on their fingers after blessing them.

The soldiers from the fortress had taken some time to get organized again, after their commander had been incapacitated after the death of his daughter, but then they had gathered to recapture the escaped prisoners again. Victoria had urged Zorro to leave before the soldiers arrived at the chapel and captured him too. Giving his wife a quick kiss, he had left on Toronado to change back into Diego again.

And here he was now on his way back to Los Angeles. He was married, but his wife didn't know his identity. He was an outlaw with a price on his head who couldn't reveal himself without endangering his family and his new wife. What was he going to do now?

* * *

 _A/N: The beginning of my new story. I started writing this a few months ago, but I didn't wanted to posted it while I was still writing LOST HOPE. Since that one is nearing the end (hopefully), it's time to start a new one._


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Diego waved at his father upon his return to the hacienda without taking off his gloves. He had smeared dirt into his face and pretended that he had gotten lost. Desperately, his father had sighed at the incompetence of his son and then given him a short report about the events at Devil's Fortress that had quickly made the rounds after the return of Victoria and Mendoza.

Diego had excused himself and made an escape into the cave. Felipe had followed him a little later, curious about Diego's version of events, while Diego was bent over a bowl of cold water.

Felipe stared at him with wide eyes as he noticed the wedding ring that Diego tried to pull from his finger with the help of soap and cold water. It was fitting very tightly and wouldn't come off easily.

"Yes, that's a wedding ring," Diego answered Felipe's signed question. "Zorro married Victoria at Devil's Fortress at her father's deathbed."

"What I'm going to do now?" Diego interpreted him.

"Nothing! I just need to get this ring off!" Diego grabbed again for the soap to make his finger slick. He pulled at the ring and with much effort finally managed to get it off, holding it up between his thumb and index finger and showing it to Felipe.

The boy stared at him baffled. 'Nothing?' he signed. 'What about Victoria? What does she say about it? Was she surprised that it was you?'

"Victoria doesn't know it's me," Diego explained. "There was no time to take off the mask and I had to leave immediately after the ceremony before the soldiers came back and found me."

Felipe stared at him with open mouth. 'When are you going to tell her?'

Diego squirmed a little at the boy's stare. "I won't tell her. I can't. You know the reason why I kept Zorro's identity a secret from her and my father all these years. I need to keep them safe," Diego defended himself, but Felipe remained unconvinced.

"Yes, I know the alcalde is dead," Diego said, "but it doesn't change a thing. I'm still an outlaw with a price on my head. Do you know what will happen if someone finds out that Victoria and I are married? I will hang, and Victoria and my father will hang beside me. I can't risk that!" Diego shook his head.

'But you have to tell her! Doesn't Victoria have a right to know the identity of her husband? You can't simply ignore the wedding!' Felipe objected, disagreeing with Diego's decision.

"For the moment it's the best I can do. It will save me from her wrath for a while longer!"

Diego opened a drawer at his desk and placed his wedding ring inside. "Now let's go back to the hacienda and hear the detailed story of the events at Devil's Fortress from my Father." Diego winked at Felipe, but the boy remained unimpressed.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

In the parlor Alejandro was waiting for them to tell them everything about the events at Devil's Fortress.

"You should have come home earlier, Son," Alejandro said. "Then you wouldn't have missed the big news. Can you imagine that Victoria is married to Zorro now? She came here earlier to tell me herself what has happened. I tried to comfort her as best as I could when I heard about her father's death and of course I congratulated her to her marriage, though all this is very confusing. I can understand that her father wanted to see his daughter married, but it was quite a rush."

"I'll ride to the pueblo and express my sympathy to her," Diego said. "I'm sorry to hear that she couldn't save her father, but it must be a great comfort to her to be married to the man of her dreams. She has been waiting so long to find out who he is."

"Can you believe that she still doesn't know? She told me they were in such a hurry that there wasn't time for him to unmask and with her brother and Mendoza and others present Zorro couldn't have revealed himself," Alejandro said.

"If Zorro's identity became known, it would be his death sentence. He is a wanted outlaw with a price on his head," Diego agreed. "But shouldn't that change now that the alcalde is dead? How did he die?"

"I think the only one who can tell us is Zorro himself," Alejandro said. "Ramone's body was found in fortress' courtyard and it appeared he must have fallen from the rampart. Why and how that happened nobody knows. Victoria said that Ramone went up the stairs on some mischief and that Zorro followed him."

"I must have missed quite an adventure," Diego said. "I wanted to be there to help Victoria, but fortunately Zorro was there, so it didn't matter."

"It's best if you leave the adventures to Zorro," Alejandro agreed. "Look where this got you. You were lost again! We all know you meant well, Diego, but the next time you'd better stay home from the start."

Z~Z~Z

"Hola, Victoria," Diego greeted her when he saw standing behind the bar in the tavern. Lunch time was already over and the tavern was empty except for one table on the porch.

"Buenos días, Diego," Victoria said, depressed. She put down the glass she was polishing and looked at him unhappily.

"I heard about the death of your father, I'm so sorry for your loss, Victoria. Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Thank you, Diego, it's all right. For so many years I thought he was dead and then I found out that he was still alive... suffering in that prison for so many years," she started to cry and Diego put his arm around her shoulder to comfort her. "If I had known earlier, I could have tried to save him. My brothers and I would have done anything to get him out, but we were too late.."

"Victoria, it wasn't your fault. You did all you could," he soothed her. "He didn't die in the prison, but he saw the light again on his deathbed

\+ and he saw his daughter married. "You granted him his last wishes."

"Thank you, Diego. You always find the right words, but I still wish it wouldn't hurt so much. I always thought that my wedding day would be the happiest day in my life, but it wasn't. I haven't cried so much since my mother died."

"Take your time to grieve. Think of the happy times you shared with your father and that he died as a free man with you and your brother at his side."

"I only wish Francisco could have been there too," she whispered, wiping her tears.

"You can't always have everything, Victoria. Why don't you close the tavern for today and rest for a while? I'll tell the two customers outside to leave and you can close up."

"Thank you, Diego," she whispered wiping her tears.

Z~Z~Z

Shortly after dusk there was a knock on Victoria's bedroom window and black-clad figure climbed inside.

"Zorro! I hoped you'd come tonight." Victoria rose from the bed to jump into his arms. "I have been waiting for you all day."

"I'm sorry I couldn't come earlier," he apolgized. "I'm sure the lancers are on the lookout for me and I had to wait for nightfall."

"I doesn't matter anymore. You're here now, and I'll finally know who you are." Victoria reached behind his head to untie his mask, but Zorro caught her hand.

"I don't think this is a good idea," he said.

"What do you mean? We're married, and I have a right to know the identity of my husband!"

"Yes, we're married and I love you, but you know why I never told you who I am. It's not because I don't trust you but to keep you safe. Nothing has changed about that."

"How can you say you love me if you don't want to show your face to me? Does the vow and this ring you gave me mean nothing to you?" Victoria asked angrily pointing at her wedding ring.

"Victoria, please, I love you, but you must understand..."

Victoria didn't let him finish his sentence. "I can't believe you! And I don't want to hear any more buts. Either you remove this mask or you leave!"

"Querida, please,..."

Victoria looked at him determinedly. "Remove your mask or leave now!"

Hesitatingly, Zorro reached for his mask but dropped his hands in mid-motion. "I'm sorry, Victoria, but I can't!" he shook his head.

* * *

 _A/N: I know you that many of you are waiting for the next chapter of Lost Hope, but while I was trying to figure out where to go there I concentrated on this story and I wrote nearly every day a new chapter of Explanations (1000W) the last few days. So I want to finish this while the ideas are fresh and to satisfy the curiosity of my beta reader. I have written 8 of the 10/11 chapters of this story and hope to finish the writing of this one this week. Then I can focus on Lost Hope again. I have a new chapter ready to be posted once I included the corrections my beta send me. So there will be more to read soon. Thank you all for reading and reviewing. Gracias tambien a mi lectores en el mundo espagnol.  
_


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

During the next weeks Victoria was in a bad mood and the guests in her tavern were careful what they said to her. Because of Mendoza's detailed report on the events at Devil's Fortress it was generally known that she and Zorro had married, but it was obvious that it wasn't going well.

The only mentioning of Zorro in her presence resulted in the guest having to leave the tavern.  
Whenever Zorro came to the pueblo to deliver some bandits to jail, Victoria immediately returned to the inside of her tavern when she identified him as the reason for the commotion.

The only one who could cheer her up from her somber mood during this time were the de la Vegas who had invited her over to the hacienda several times. Diego had tried to comfort her while she was grieving for her father, but he didn't know what to do about their marriage. She no longer wanted to talk to him as Zorro, and he missed the stolen moments in her kitchen when he had been able to hold her in his arms. He knew that he'd have to face her wrath when he revealed his identity to her and he didn't look forward to it.

How much longer could he wait? Was it safe to tell her at all? Was her life worth it? He always had wanted to wait until his days as Zorro were over, but there hadn't been a break in all this time.

If she could forgive him and they started their married life, it would be the death of them all without a full pardon for Zorro. And the moment she got pregnant. she could no longer convince the authorities she didn't know the name of her husband.

No, he couldn't risk that. But what could he do? He wanted to go on with his life and Victoria deserved the truth, but as long as he was an outlaw with a price on his head there was no escape. The situation was even worse than before their wedding. He had always hoped he could eventually court her as himself and marry her, but that had become impossible too. Victoria couldn't marry anyone else now, as long as she couldn't present a death certificate for Zorro, which was of course impossible while he was still alive.

Thinking about the mess in his life, Diego was pacing up and down in the library when Felipe came running, signing quickly. It took him a while to calm down so Diego could understand what he was saying.

"Victoria is in jail? Because of the tax? For committing fraud? She either has to present her husband or stay in prison?" Felipe nodded, saying that he had gotten it right.

"What is it about the tax, Felipe?" The boy only shrugged his shoulders, expressing his confusion.

"You don't really understand this?" Diego interpreted, following Felipe into the cave and changing into his Zorro outfit.

"I'll find out soon what this is about. I can't let my wife go to prison because of me." Diego scowled at the circumstances, but then a small smile began to grow on his lips as he suddenly thought to himself, "My wife". It sounded good to call Victoria his wife, he thought to himself, but Felipe just stared at him, wondering.

Z~Z~Z

In the pueblo Zorro quickly finished off the lancers who didn't offer much resistance at being locked inside the barracks.

"Mendoza!" Zorro called out angrily. "What's the meaning of this? Why did you lock up Victoria?"

Mendoza rushed out of the alcalde's office when Zorro yelled for him. He was followed by the middle-aged tax collector in his usual brown suit who visited the pueblo regularly.

"I'm sorry, Zorro," Mendoza apologized. "I didn't want to. It wasn't my idea. Don Ernesto made me do this." He nodded at the tax collector.

"Is this another trap to catch me through Victoria, Mendoza?"Zorro inquired. "Are you trying to imitate the late alcalde since you have taken over his office temporarily?"

"No, Zorro, I'd never do that," Mendoza said, shaking his head. "I had to do it. It's because of the taxes, you know. Don Ernesto explained it to me."

Zorro turned to the tax collector. "Would you be so kind and explain this to me as well?" Zorro said while he pointed his sword at Don Ernesto's chest. Zorro's voice was mild but his face was angry.

"It's because Señorita Victoria, … I mean the Señora is now married to you," the man stammered, frightened of the sharp blade.

"After the marriage her husband has to sign her tax declaration because the tavern belongs to him now. Without it I can't accept her taxes and she goes to jail for fraud," Don Ernesto explained fearfully.

" Am I getting this right? She paid her taxes, but you won't accept it because she's married now?" Zorro asked angrily.

"It's the law, Señor Zorro," Don Ernesto explained. "I.. I need your signature if you are her husband."

"Mendoza, get Victoria out of jail at once!" Zorro ordered while he held Don Ernesto in check with his sword.

"Si, Zorro, at once," he said, hurrying away.

A few moments later Mendoza came back with Victoria. "Señorita Victoria will go free because she has paid her taxes," Zorro declared. "And if you need my signature you can have it." With his sword he slashed a Z into Don Ernesto's vest, before he reached for Victoria and pulled her up on Toronado

"It's the law that I need your real signature," Don Ernesto apologized, cringing. "I can't help it. Next time I'll come back with soldiers from Santa Paula and she'll go to prison without it. You won't get her out so easily next time!"

"That's good enough for me now! Until next time, Don Ernesto," Zorro raised his sword and saluted him. Holding Victoria in a tight grip in front of him, he galloped out of the pueblo.

" Let me go!" Victoria demanded as soon as they had left Los Angles and Toronado had slowed down.

"I can't do that," Zorro said. "The soldiers from the pueblo will soon catch up with you and put you back into prison. I can't have that after all the effort I made to get you free."

"I told you that I don't want to see you as long as you don't show me your face. Are you ready to do that?" she challenged him.

"I'm sorry, Victoria, but nothing has changed. You know why I can't," he said regretfully.

"Then let me go immediately!" Victoria struggled in his grip to free herself and get down from the horse.

"I'll let you go at the de la Vega hacienda. You'll be safe there for the moment. Agreed?"

"Fine, but only to the hacienda!" Victoria glared at him, but stopped struggling. Though Zorro had slowed down Toronado to a calmer gait, the hacienda came quickly in sight.

"Let me down," Victoria demanded. "I can walk from here."

"As you wish," Zorro agreed, "but don't you think you owe me at least a thank you for getting you out of prison?"

"If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have been imprisoned," Victoria said angrily.

"Yes, that's true, but I still got you out!" Zorro released the reigns and tightened his grip around her, as he bent down to kiss her. She didn't resist and returned the kiss, but when she lifter her arms to wrap them around his neck, he locked her wrists in one hand and kept them down.

"What are you doing?" Victoria struggled in his grip. "Set me free!"

"I knew what you were up to, Victoria. Don't think you can fool me. You thought you could remove my mask in a moment of inattention, but I know you. I love you, but I can't let you see my face." Releasing her, he gently let her down from Toronado. Saluting her with his familiar gesture he rode away.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

It was still a few minutes' walk to the entrance from where Zorro left Victoria and if he hurried, he could beat her to the hacienda.

Felipe was waiting for him in the cave and offered to take care of Toronado when Diego explained the situation to him.

Victoria must have walked slowly, because Diego had time to sit down on the couch in the parlor before a servant opened the door at her knocking.

"Victoria, nice to see you," he greeted her. "What brings you here? Is something wrong?"

"Diego, I need your help, please. Mendoza had me imprisoned, but Zorro freed me and brought me here."

"Zorro brought you here?" Diego feigned ignorance. "I thought you no longer wanted to have anything to do with him."

"I didn't have much choice about it. It was either that or stay in prison," Victoria said miserably.

"Victoria, I thought I heard your voice," Alejandro entered the parlor. "What happened? You were in prison? Why?"

Offering her a seat, they sat down as Victoria recounted what had happened in the pueblo.

"You're really in a mess here, Victoria," Alejandro stated. "You can't name your husband because you don't know who he is, and if you don't, you'll go to prison."

"Yes, I know. I never knew this would get so complicated. Can you help me find out who Zorro is, Don Alejandro?" Victoria asked. "He refuses to unmask for me, but maybe he'll listen to you, Zorro has always supported your family. Maybe you can talk reason into him."

"You're right, Victoria. You need to find out his identity, so you can go on with your life. I'll help you if I can," Alejandro assured her.

"I think you haven't thought this through, Father," Diego said warningly. "The situation is even more complicated than finding out Zorro's identity. Just assume you manage to do that – then what will you do?"

"I could start my life with him and …," Victoria blushed.

"Victoria can have him sign the tax declaration for her and she wouldn't need to go to prison," Alejandro said. "That's the least he can do for her."

"Do you realize that it's also his death sentence and Victoria's?" Diego asked. "When he signs the document, his name will be revealed and as a wanted outlaw he'll be hanged with his wife beside him."

"But the alcalde is dead, shouldn't that change the situation?" Victoria asked.

Diego shook his head. "It doesn't matter as long as Zorro is a wanted man and not pardoned."

"So the next time Don Ernesto comes to collect the taxes, I go to prison again or Zorro will die?" Victoria asked, shocked.

"Yes, that sums it up correctly," Diego stated.

"But that can't be! There must be something we can do! I'll rather go to prison than see him die!" Victoria said, depressed. "Isn't there anything else?"

"I don't know, Victoria. I need to study my law books and see if I can find anything that can help us, but the tax collector was very sure about the law," Diego said glumly.

"I can send a letter to our lawyer in Santa Paula and ask him for advice," Alejandro offered.

"Thank you both," Victoria said gratefully. "I don't know what to do without you."

"Why don't you stay for dinner? You're safe here from the soldiers. Mendoza isn't the alcalde and will not insist on a search of the hacienda if we tell him you're not here," Alejandro said. "Tomorrow Don Ernesto will leave Los Angeles and you can return to your tavern. We have time to find out a solution until Don Ernesto returns the next time."

"Yes, Mendoza won't bother me when Don Ernesto is gone, especially if he realizes that he won't be able to eat my food if I stay in prison," Victoria smirked.

"Count on Sergeant Mendoza to think with his stomach," Diego faked a smile, feeling too depressed about the dreadful situation.

Z~Z~Z

"You have been very quiet all evening, Diego," Victoria said after dinner when they were taking a walk in the garden.

"I have been thinking," Diego admitted.

"You don't believe there is a way out of this, do you?" Victoria asked. "It's either death or prison!"

"I wouldn't give up so easily," Diego tried to inspire a hope he didn't have, trying to cheer her up.

"But I don't know what to do!" Victoria said desperately. "I wish I hadn't gotten married, then everything would be easier."

"Do you really think so?" Diego asked, concerned. "Don't you love Zorro anymore?"

"I still love him, but I want a real marriage. I can't stand this situation anymore." She was close to tears and gratefully took the handkerchief he handed her. "Excuse me, please." Victoria turned around and headed back inside.

Diego wanted to follow her and take her in his arms and hold her, remembering the touch of her body when he had held her as Zorro this afternoon while they were riding to the hacienda. There was no way he could get close to her now. If he revealed his secret to her, she would hate him for deceiving her, and if he didn't reveal himself, he could only be her 'brotherly' friend. And on top of all this mess he needed to find a solution that would keep Victoria out of prison when the taxes were due the next time. He couldn't allow her to suffer in prison because of him, but what could he do?


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Diego couldn't sleep that night while his mind tried to figure out a solution about keeping Victoria out of prison. He needed to check his law book again about the taxes, but he was pretty sure that the tax collector was correct about the law.

With marriage the ownership of the woman's possesions transferred to her husband. This was general knowledge and often the reason for a marriage. He was aware that Victoria was 'a good catch' as the matchmaker expressed it, but he himself was lucky not having to marry for money. Their marriage had put her in a difficult situation and he needed to rectify it somehow.

It had been a mistake to marry her so suddenly without thinking about all the problems this would cause her, but it had been the right thing to do. He loved her just as she loved him and it had made her dying father happy. He only wished they could start their married life without endangering their lives.

Too tired and worried to sleep, Diego got out of bed, put on some clothes and went into the library to pull out his law book. Lighting the lamp on the small table, Diego sat down to read through the paragraphs about taxes. It was exactly as the tax collector had stated, and though he looked through all the other paragraphs he couldn't find anything that would keep Victoria out of jail. Frustrated, Diego closed the book and sighed as he put it on the table next to the lamp.

Sitting down on the couch again, he leaned back and closed his eyes for a minute. He must have fallen asleep, because he felt himself waking up when someone touched his shoulder. Opening his eyes, he saw Victoria standing next to him, wearing only a dressing gown over her night gown.

"Can't you sleep either?" Victoria asked. "I don't know what to do. Did you find something in that law book?" she asked, spotting the book on the table.

"No, there wasn't anything to help you," Diego said, depressed.

"I'm sorry that I'm worrying you with my problems, Diego. I don't want you to worry about me so much when it's no really your problem."

If only she knew, Diego thought. She wouldn't be talking so calmly to him anymore. "We're friends," he said, "so it concerns me too."

"Thank you, Diego, you're the kindest man I know. Can I sit with you for a moment? I can't sleep and I don't want to be alone right now."

Victoria sat down next to him on the couch as he put his arm around her shoulders. "You're always full of ideas. Tell me what we can do," she whispered while she struggled to stay awake.

Diego wanted to say something, but she had already fallen asleep, leaning her head against his shoulder. For a while he continued to watch her, but when the lamp had nearly burned down, he lifted her into his arms and took her back to her room, laying her on the bed. After removing her dressing gown, he pulled back the covers and tucked her in.

"Good night, Querida," he whispered, his lips brushing tenderly across her lips without waking her.

Looking at her before leaving, he noticed the wedding ring on her finger and he remembered how difficult his ring had been to get it off his own finger when he had returned after his wedding. Thinking of the ceremony again, he had an idea. It would get him into even more trouble, but it was the best he could think of.

Z~Z~Z

In the morning Victoria greeted Diego and Alejandro wearily when she joined them at the breakfast table.

"Buenos días, Victoria," Alejandro replied cheerfully. "I'm glad you could join us. Diego has just explained that you can safely return to the pueblo without danger of being arrested again."

"How is that possible?" Victoria asked, surprised. "I thought you didn't find anything in your law books. Were you mistaken?"

"I didn't find anything in the law book, but I thought of something else. To be sure, you need to answer a few questions about your wedding," Diego said, pretending ignorance.

"What do you want to know? And why is it important?" she asked curiously.

"Is it true that Zorro didn't take off his mask during the wedding?" he asked..

"Yes, that's true," Victoria confirmed. "That's why I don't know who he is. I told you that before, Diego. Why do you ask me that?"

"The wedding is invalid if he didn't reveal his identity. I checked it with church law," Diego said. "That means you're not married and there should be no trouble with your taxes anymore."

"That will solve all you problems at once, Victoria," Alejandro said cheerfully.

"I didn't know that," Victoria said. "Then Zorro and I are not really married?" she asked, sounding disappointed.

"It can't be legal, if you don't know your husband name, can it?" Diego said. "I'll come with you to the pueblo and explain it to Mendoza. He will believe me."

"Thank you for your help, Diego," Victoria said gratefully.

Z~Z~Z

While Diego waited for Victoria to get ready to return to the pueblo, Diego slipped into the cave to get his book on church law.

Felipe has followed him into the cave, wanting to know more about the validity of the marriage.

'Is it really true that you and Victoria aren't married?' Felipe inquired curiously. 'Why didn't you say so before?'

"Victoria and I are married," Diego affirmed. "We married in front of the priest at the chapel at Devil's Fortress."

Felipe stared at him confused. 'But at breakfast you said..?' he signed.

"I know what I said at breakfast. It was a lie, but it was the best thing that came to my mind. I only need to convince everyone that the marriage isn't valid and then Victoria can pay her taxes without needing the signature of her husband," Diego explained.

'Are you going to tell Victoria the truth?' Felipe inquired. 'You can't lie to her about that. You must tell her the truth.'

"Do you know how angry Victoria will be if I tell her the truth? She'll never speak a word to me again."

'She needs to know!' Felipe signed. ' And what about Padre Benitez? He will know that it's a lie.'

"I had forgotten about the padre," Diego said. "I'll have to talk to him and ask him to help me."

'Do you want the padre to help you lie? And you want to continue lying to Victoria? You'll only make it worse. You need to tell the truth!' Felipe signed agitatedly.

"This is the only solution to keep Victoria out of prison," Diego defended himself.

'You can't be helped,' Felipe said, frustrated.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Diego had persuaded Victoria to delay their return to the pueblo to make sure that the tax collector had already left before they arrived.

It was already close to noon when Diego accompanied Victoria into the alcalde's office where Mendoza was bent over some paperwork, scratching his head constantly as he tried to make sense out of the figures.

"Buenos días, Señora, Don Diego," Mendoza greeted them. Then he remembered what had happened the day before and jumped up from his seat. "Um, Señora, It's good to see you, but I'm sorry that I have to arrest you again. The tax collector has left, but the law is the law. You must understand that."

"There's no need to arrest Victoria," Diego stepped forward. "I've come to solve that issue."

"No need? Why?" Mendoza asked, confused. "Was the tax collector wrong about the laws? Or have you brought me the signature of your husband, Señora?"

"Neither," Diego said. "It's about her marriage to Zorro. The marriage you witnessed isn't valid because Zorro didn't remove his mask during the ceremony."

"But I was sure it was a real marriage," Mendoza said confused, scratching his head.

Diego opened the book that he held in his hand and put it in front of Mendoza. "This is the Church law. It says here that the marriage is invalid." Diego pointed to a certain section of the page.

"It's in Latin, Don Diego," Mendoza said, trying to make sense of the words in front of him. "I can't read that."

"Yes, I'm sorry, Mendoza. I forgot that," Diego apologized.

"I can't read Latin either," Victoria added. "Not everyone is so well-educated as you. Diego."

"Then you must believe me what it says," Diego stated. He read aloud the Latin sentences and Mendoza and Victoria nodded.

"If you say so, Don Diego, then I believe you," Mendoza said. "Then it's Señorita Victoria again, as you aren't married."

"Yes, that's true," Victoria agreed, sounding unhappy.

"I wished it had been a real marriage, Señorita Victoria, after you already waited so long for Zorro," Mendoza said sympathetically.

"I wish so too," Victoria said somberly, "but maybe it's for the best. Zorro could never give me a home and a family."

"If you don't need me anymore," Diego tried to appear cheerful, "I have some work to do." Diego headed for the newspaper to leave his book in the office, before he went over to the church.

"Don Diego, what can I do for you?" Padre Benitez asked him, smiling. "Or did you come just for a talk about birds?"

"I wish it were just about the birds," Diego said, "but I need your help with a serious problem."

"Let's take a walk, my son. It often helps to see the world in a new perspective with the wonders of God's creation around me," the padre suggested, indicating the large garden of the mission. After they had walked a while, the padre prompted him to state his problem.

"It's about Victoria's marriage to Zorro," Diego started slowly.

"You mean your marriage to Victoria Escalante," the padre said calmly. "Don't look so surprised, Diego," the padre gave a small grin. "I figured it out shortly after I arrived at this pueblo, but you can be sure that your secret is safe with me.

"It makes it easier if I don't have to talk in riddles," Diego said, relieved, "but you know that this knowledge may put you in danger."

"I don't think so. I'm a priest and everyone knows that priests won't reveal what they know," the priest assured him. "So what are you going to do about your marriage? I heard that you didn't reveal your face to her during the wedding which puts you both in a difficult situation."

"Yes, I know, but I want to protect her. It was my main goal from the start to protect her and my father. That's why created Zorro at the beginning." It was a relief for Diego to talk openly and unburden his soul as he explained how he was forced to create the double role of Zorro and Diego after his return from Spain. At the end of his tale Diego recounted the events at Devil's fortress that led to the alcalde's death and his hasty wedding to Victoria.

"Do you regret getting married?" the padre asked when he had finished.

"No, I don't, but I don't see any way out of this situation," Diego said desperately. "I worked so hard to discourage any suspicion that I could be Zorro and now everything is falling apart. I want to be married to Victoria, but I don't know how. And today I made it even more complicated. She'll hate me for it."

"What did you do?" the padre asked, alarmed.

"As Diego, I told her that her marriage to Zorro is invalid, because Zorro didn't take off his mask," Diego confessed.

"But you know that it's not true, don't you? Why did you lie about it? Matrimony is a holy sacrament, and it's not something to lie about," the padre lectured him sternly.

In short words Diego explained the problem with the tax collector and that it was either Victoria's imprisonment or his death. "I couldn't let that happen and it was the only solution I could think of. I could convince Mendoza and Victoria because they can't read Latin," Diego explained.

"But you can't fool anyone who reads Latin, Don Diego," the padre warned him.

"Can you help me?" Diego asked desperately. "You're the authority on matters of the church. Everyone will believe you."

"If you're asking me to lie for you, the answer is no. Lying is a sin and I won't even consider it," the padre answered gravely. "And you should stop lying too."

"But what can I do? If Mendoza and Victoria find out that I lied she'll go back to prison. Or maybe it's easier if I just turn myself in. Then it's over for me and Victoria will be free again," Diego said miserably.

"Diego, you must never think that way. You have done so much good for the people here and you have still so much to live for," the padre told him.

"Please, Padre, I don't know what to do. I only want to protect the ones I love."

"I understand how difficult the situation is, and I will help you, but if I do that you must do something too," the padre said.

"I appreciate your help, just tell what you want me to do," Diego agreed.

"If someone asks me about the validity of your marriage, I will not lie, but if no one asks me directly, I won't say that you lied either. I'll say that I have to consult with the church law first which is not a lie and not bending the truth too much," the padre offered.

"Thank you, Padre," Diego said. "That will help a lot."

The padre wasn't finished."Here is what I want you to do. I want you to tell your father and your wife the truth about Zorro and the state of your marriage."

"But Padre, you know why I can't," Diego objected.

"If you want me to help you, you need to stop lying, my son," the padre said relentlessly.

"You leave me no choice," Diego said, subdued.

"Believe me, my son, it's for your own good. You need to stop lying to your family, and you need to stop now. Your wife and your father come to confession once a week, and if your wife asks me directly about her marriage, I will have to tell the truth, so don't wait too long," the padre said.

"It's not what I expected when I came here to ask for your help," Diego said unhappily.

"No, I know, but it's what you have to do," the padre said. "Have faith, my son. If she loves you, she will forgive you."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

The Padre had given Diego only a few days' time to tell Victoria and his father the truth and he wasn't looking forward to it. His father might forgive him, but he knew that Victoria would be furious. Would she ever forgive him for lying to her? How would they go forward?

He had lied to her when he told her that the marriage with Zorro was invalid. It had absolved her from the accusation of committing a fraud if she signed her tax declaration in her own name, and she had been relieved about it.

He wasn't sure what she really thought about her marriage to Zorro. At first she had appeared sad that she was single again, but then she had declared that Zorro never would have made a good husband. Diego had also overheard the matchmaker offering her services again, and Victoria had asked for more time to think about it but had not declined the offer. Would she really consider marrying someone else? Another caballero? He couldn't let it happen. There was no way to keep the secret if Victoria agreed to a marriage proposal with another man.

This morning he had made up his mind. It had to be done. Sighing, Diego mounted his horse to ride to the pueblo. He needed to tell her before she learned the truth from the padre.

"Buenos días, Diego," Victoria greeted him with a smile as he entered the tavern. "What can I do for you? Is something wrong? You look so serious."

"It's not one of my best days. A cup of coffee for me, please," he said. Staying at the bar, he watched her pour the coffee into the cup. "Thank you."

Victoria watched him curiously as he slowly sipped the coffee without trying to start a conversation. "Tell me, what's going on, Diego. I can sense that something is wrong when you're so serious and not saying a word."

"It's complicated," he said hesitatingly, "but I need to tell you something. Would you come over to the hacienda if you have time?"

"Why do you want me to come to the hacienda? Why can't you tell me now?" she asked curiously. "Why wait?"

"You'll understand when I'll tell you," he replied, piquing her curiosity even more.

"I can come today during siesta, Diego, if you can wait that long. Lunch time is coming up, and I will be busy," Victoria offered.

"It's not that urgent," he assured her. "There's no need to hurry. Come whenever you have time today," he said though he knew that he was only stalling time. The more hours he had left until he had to tell her the better.

"It must be important if you came here in the morning especially for that," Victoria reasoned. "Why can't you tell me what it's about?"

"I'll tell you at the hacienda. Adios, Victoria."

Diego could count the hours to his doom now. What would she do? How angry would she get? Would she still talk to him? Or was there hope she'd forgive him? He didn't know for sure and he feared the worst. There was one more thing he wanted to do before it was all over.

At the hacienda he slipped into the cave and changed into Zorro before he rode back to the pueblo.

Z~Z~Z

"Zorro, what are you doing in my kitchen? Didn't I tell you that I don't want to see you again?" Victoria placed the dirty glasses on the kitchen table and braced her arms.

"But I wanted to see you," Zorro said with a grin. "Can't I visit my beautiful wife?" He took her hand and drew it to his lips.

Victoria quickly drew back her hand. "I'm not your wife! In case, you haven't heard yet, but our marriage is invalid."

"I will believe it only when I see the proof," Zorro replied. "For me the marriage ceremony felt real. Very real." He looked at her challenging.

"If you were so sincere about it why couldn't you show me your face?" she said angrily. "Maybe it's best as if it never happened. It's over."

"Are you sure about it? Do you really want it to be over?" Zorro stretched out his arm and reached for her hand. Offering no resistance, Victoria placed her hand in his and let him draw her into his embrace.

"I love you, Victoria, don't forget that, and maybe you can forgive me," he whispered.

"Forgive you what?" Victoria asked, but he shut her mouth with his kiss. She didn't try to remove his mask like the last time they had kissed on Toronado's back. Instead, she returned the kiss, tightening the embrace.

When he tasted her salty tears, he released her inquiringly, looking at her questioningly. "I'm sorry, Zorro," Victoria wiped her tears. "I think it's best if you don't come here anymore. We can't be together, and I need to go on with my life."

"I love you, Victoria." He tenderly kissed her again for the last time, a sad look on his face as he left.

Z~Z~Z

Diego had been thinking how to tell Victoria since his talk with the padre. For a moment he had considered of telling her in the kitchen today by simply removing his mask, but it would have probably been too noisy if she had started screaming at him.

"Diego, what's bothering you?" his father interrupted his pacing in the library. "You hardly touched your food at lunch and you look like the world is about to come to an end."

"You may be right about that," Diego said despairingly. "I have asked Victoria to come here because I have to tell her something, and I don't know how she will react. She'll probably hate me for it."

"It can't be that bad, Diego. You and Victoria were always good friends, and she could always count on you, especially after the death of her father and her ill-fated marriage to Zorro."

"You have no idea, Father," Diego sighed heavily. "I have to tell you anyway, so why not tell you now."

"Tell me what?" Alejandro asked.

"That I'm Zorro!"

" _You_ are Zorro?" Alejandro stared at him disbelievingly. "But that can't be! You don't know how to handle a sword, and you constantly get lost. Why are you saying that?"

"Because it's the truth, Father. I'm sorry that I didn't tell you before, but I wanted to protect you and Victoria. If you didn't know Zorro's name, then nobody could try to get that information from you."

"Are you really Zorro, Diego? How could you keep such a secret from me all this time? I realize now that I never saw you and Zorro together, but since your return from Spain you showed little interest in taking action in dangerous situations and you usually had your nose in a book," Alejandro stared at him.

"I had to make sure that the Alcalde didn't suspect me of being Zorro, so I had to act quite differently all the other times," Diego explained irritably.

"Then the son who came home from Spain was all an act?" Alejandro stared at Diego, trying to comprehend it all. "You're still the reckless boy you used to be? You didn't really change?"

"No, Father, I didn't change that much, though I do have a greater interest in science. It was sometimes very useful when I fooled the soldiers as Zorro," Diego gave a small grin.

"You faced the soldiers as Zorro on your own! You could have died each time you rode out as Zorro! How could you do that! Didn't you care for the danger?" Alejandro exclaimed, eyes wide with shock as he realized the implications.

"I was always careful, Father. I could handle the soldiers and the Alcalde was no match for me," Diego said arrogantly.

"But you are my only son. How could you risk your life so boldly? I don't think I could have stood the shock if I had seen you die!"

"That's why I never told you, Father. I know that you couldn't have stayed calm if you knew that it was me under that mask," Diego explained.

"Then why are you telling me now? Why have you changed your mind?" Alejandro inquired. His mind was still reeling from the revelation of the fact his son was actually the legendary Zorro.

"It's because of Victoria, and what happened at Devil's Fortress," Diego said.

"What do you mean?" Alejandro didn't get the hint at once.

"Victoria and I got married at Devil's Fortress. That's what this is about," Diego clarified.

"Victoria married Zorro, but he didn't remove his mask, so the marriage was invalid," Alejandro recounted.

"It's what I told Victoria, but it's not true. Victoria and I are married," Diego said.

"Didn't you know that? I thought you had found proof for it in the law book? What does Victoria say to it all?" Alejandro inquired.

"She does not know yet. I'll tell her when she comes here."

"How did you find out you were wrong? Did the padre tell you? I saw you take a walk with him the other day," Alejandro inquired.

"You're right that I talked with the padre about it, but I always knew that it wasn't the truth," Diego admitted.

"Then why did you tell her that the marriage was invalid?"

"I made it up, because it was the only idea that crossed my mind to keep Victoria out of prison. I only needed to convince Mendoza and Victoria, and it was enough to get her free. Of course, I couldn't fool the padre, and he demanded that I told you the truth," Diego said.

"And what will you do now?" Alejandro asked. "You're really in a mess, Diego. I understand now why you are so worried."

"I will tell Victoria and see how she reacts," Diego said nervously.

"I don't think she will be pleased, for sure. She has quite a temper, son."

"That's what I fear too," Diego sighed

"I don't envy you, but that's what you get after lying so much," Alejandro agreed.

For a few moments they sat in silence while Alejandro tried to process all the news. Then curiosity began to get the better of him and he started to ask more questions.

"Did you never tell anyone your secret? You did it all alone? How did you do that?"

"I had help. Felipe knew from the start. In fact, he was the one who gave me the idea." Diego recounted how Felipe had shown him the fox in the cave behind the fireplace and how Diego had created Zorro. He also told his father about Felipe's ability to hear and answered many other questions that his father had. The time passed quickly until a servant announced Victoria's arrival.

"If you excuse me, Diego, Victoria," Alejandro said with a slight nod when Victoria entered the library. "I'll take a walk. I think you two have a lot to discuss."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

"Hola, Diego," Victoria said. "You wanted to talk to me. Here I am!" she smiled at him expectantly, but her smile vanished when she saw his serious face.

"Sit down, please," Diego pointed at the couch opposite his chair. "What I have to tell you is not easy and it would be best if you're sitting down." Diego waited until she was seated before he continued."I don't know how to tell you, and I know that you will be angry..."

"Just tell me what it is!" Victoria demanded, getting impatient.

Diego reached into his pocket and opened his hand to show her his wedding ring. "I think you know what this is." He put the ring on the small table between them.

Victoria took the ring and turned it into her hand. "Is this a wedding ring? Where did you get it?" Her eyes narrowed as she recognized the band. "Is this Zorro's? Did he give it to you?"

"This is Zorro's wedding ring – and mine," Diego said solemnly.

"That can't be! It would mean that you are Zorro!" Victoria stared at him. "But you can't be him! I would have known. You don't know how to handle a sword, and you're not at all like him."

"I _am_ Zorro," Diego said. "If you still don't believe me, I can prove it. You tried to unmask me while we kissed after I freed you from prison, but I stopped you and brought you here."

"Nobody but Zorro would know that." Victoria swallowed hard, as she realized he was saying the truth. "You are Zorro. You lied to me. All this time you lied to me!"

"I'm sorry, Querida," Diego said remorsefully. "Please, you must understand.."

"Don't call me Querida!" she rebuked him. "How could you do this to me? I thought you were my friend! I trusted you and told you my worries, and now I find out that you lied to me all this time. Playing your game with me, pretending you were two different men. How can I ever trust you again?" Feeling hurt about his betrayal, she tried to suppress a sob.

"I really do love you, Victoria. That wasn't a lie," Diego said pleadingly.

"I don't know if I can believe you," Victoria said, wiping away her tears. "It would have been easier if Zorro were someone else and not you. I could forgive a stranger more easily than a friend who betrayed my trust."

"Victoria, please, I never wanted to hurt you. I wanted to keep you safe."

"How can you say you love me if you don't trust me? There's no love without trust. You preferred to hide your face from me and pretended to be someone else when I saw you during the day. You didn't even unmask after the wedding when I asked you to. All you manged to give me was this wedding ring. I'm relieved that the marriage isn't valid, because it would have never worked."

"Ahem.. That's another thing I need to tell you. What I told you about the wedding being invalid is not true," Diego admitted. "We _are_ legally married."

"What do you mean by that? Did you make a mistake? But you were so sure when you told Mendoza and me. You read it from the book in Latin," Victoria asked, confused.

"I needed something to keep you out of prison, and the only solution that came to my mind was to convince Mendoza that the marriage was invalid," Diego confessed.

"So you lied about it? Straight to my face? And you didn't think of talking about it with me?" Victoria rose from the couch, as Diego nodded guiltily. "That's enough! I can't stand it anymore!"

Victoria had been hurt before, but now it was fueled by anger. "I want an annulment, and I don't want have anything more to do with you. All I hear from you are lies. Don't talk to me anymore. And you can keep your wedding ring and do with it what you like!" Angrily, she slammed the ring on the table and turned to leave.

"Victoria, please, I can understand that you're angry, but don't leave like this. We need to talk more about it," Diego begged her, touching her by the arm to keep her from leaving.

"The only thing I want to talk about is the annulment of our marriage," Victoria said heatedly, shaking off his hand on her arm.

"You know that you have to keep up with the lie that the marriage is invalid if you don't want to go back to prison," Diego reminded her.

"I won't go back to prison, since I know where to find my husband now and get his signature, don't I?" she challenged him. "But don't worry. I will only talk about it with the padre. Hopefully, this can be solved quickly." Victoria glared at him before she rushed out of the room.

Devastated, Diego sat down on the couch. He had lost her. He had always hoped that she would understand his reasons for lying to her and forgive him, but he had betrayed her trust as a friend and that wasn't so easy to forgive.

He should have known from the start that there was no way this would end well. Victoria had rejected him when he didn't remove his mask as Zorro and then again when she had found out it was him. He had no doubt she'd go for that annulment, and he'd lose her forever once she had cut that last tie between them.

When Alejandro returned from his walk more than an hour later, he found Diego alone, sitting on the couch and playing with his wedding ring.

"Is there anything I can do?" Alejandro asked sympathetically, guessing what had happened. Diego only shook his head. "Give Victoria a little time, son. She'll come to her senses, once she's had time to think about everything. You don't find out every day that behind the mask of your husband your best friend is hiding. It wasn't easy for me either to find out that my son is Zorro."

"I'm relieved that you forgave me, Father, but I don't think Victoria will change her mind. I betrayed her trust and destroyed our friendship. She'll never forgive me that," Diego said depressed. "She asked for an annulment."

"She wants to annul your marriage?" Alejandro asked, shocked. "Doesn't she know how long this will take? She has to convince two church tribunals and even wait for a decision from Rome. It could be months or even a year!"

"I don't think she cares. I'm married and still don't have a wife. I never thought it would end like this when I put on Zorro's mask for the first time. I better put the ring where it's safe and I can also show you my cave." Diego opened the hidden door and motioned for his father to follow him. Putting the ring back into his desk drawer, he watched as his father looked around at all the equipment and articles in the cave.

"I never knew this was behind the fireplace," his father said admiringly.

"Ask you questions, Father. I know you must have many of them. Answering them will distract me from thinking about Victoria," Diego said.

Alejandro took him at his word.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

"Are you finished with your lunch? Anything I can bring you? Sergeant Mendoza, _Don_ Diego?" Victoria asked as she cleaned up the dirty dishes from their table.

"No, thank you. I need to go back to work," Mendoza said. "I wish we'd get a new alcalde soon, then I'd be relieved of all this paperwork. It's been two months now since the alcalde died and I haven't heard anything about a new alcalde from my superiors."

"I have to go back to work on my newspaper too," Diego said. "Thank you, Victoria." Victoria glared at him as she left the table.

"Señorita Victoria is really cross with you, isn't she?" Mendoza remarked. "She doesn't like it if you simply call her Victoria while she calls you _Don_ Diego, and she hardly speaks to you anymore. This has been going on for weeks now. I know that neither you nor Victoria want to tell me what happened, but I still wonder what's going on."

"I'm sorry too it has come to this," Diego said sadly. "I wish we could restore our friendship, but she's very determined to keep me out of her life."

"I wonder what Señorita Victoria is going to do with her life now. She has split up with Zorro, after she found out that their marriage is invalid, but she has discouraged other suitors too. Yesterday, I overheard her talking with the matchmaker Doña Maria who offered her services," Mendoza said, leaning towards Diego and talking lowly, so their talk wouldn't be overheard.

"What did she say?" Diego tried not to appear too curious.

"She said she needed more time," Mendoza said, "but she didn't say no either. I wonder how long it will take until she accepts the courting of one of the caballeros who showed their interest in her. I need to go back now and check on the prisoners Zorro brought to jail before lunch," Mendoza rose from his chair when he saw Victoria coming back from the kitchen.

"Victoria, can we talk?" Diego walked over to the bar where Victoria had started to polish glasses.

When she only glared at him, he sighed. "Coffee, please," he ordered, because she wouldn't deny him that. Diego waited until she returned with the coffee from the kitchen, staying at the bar while he slowly sipped it.

"Victoria, this can't go on. I don't want it to end like this," Diego said.

"It can, and it will," Victoria said determined. "I only hope this will be over soon and I'm free again."

"Don't the last years mean anything to you? Maybe you're the one who doesn't know what friendship means. You were willing to die for Zorro, whose face you've never seen, but you would throw away our friendship. I thought better of you," Diego said, hurt. Ashamed, Victoria avoided his eyes and he left without looking back.

Slowly walking back to his office, Diego pondered what he could do about his marriage to Victoria. Victoria had refused to talk to him since the day he had told her the truth and she was intent on getting an annulment so she could get on with her life. She couldn't forgive him his lies and his deceit. It was the very thing he had feared from the start.

Diego suppressed a yawn. It had been a tiring day so far. In the early morning hours he had chased bandits who had threatened farmers in the northern valley, stealing food and livestock. After he had caught them, Zorro had brought them to the pueblo for the soldiers to put them behind bars.

There hadn't been any time left to ride back to the hacienda and change if he didn't want to miss his lunch with Mendoza who was always willing to chat about military affairs and efforts to catch Zorro. He had hidden Toronado with his sword behind the newspaper office, after he had changed into a set of Diego's spare clothes. Now he needed to change back and return to the cave on Toronado.

Engrossed in thought, Diego walked straight to the back of his office where he had hidden Zorro's outfit. Suddenly, the door from the wardrobe opened and a man jumped out to face him.

"Don Diego de la Vega, I have been waiting for you! The day has finally come when I see you die!" the man said with a hint of madness in his eyes.

It took Diego a moment to recognize the man. "You're Ricardo Quintana! You tried to kill me and my friends by tying us up in a room with a bomb after your partner Myatana, the medium, was uncovered as a fraud."

"Yes, I tried to kill you and all who were responsible for the death of my beloved Myatana in prison! If you hadn't stopped the bomb from exploding, I would have achieved my goal already to avenge her death. I can't get you all together again, but I can kill _you_." Quintana pulled out picked up a torch he had prepared and set it on fire.

"What are you going to do with that?" Diego asked, alarmed. He suddenly recognized the smell of the fire accelerant and grimaced.

"While I was waiting for you to return from lunch, I prepared the office to burn even more easily - not that it needed much with all the paper lying around," he grinned madly.

Diego wanted to reach for the burning torch, but Quintana only smirked at him. "If you try any tricks, I'll let the torch fall to the ground."

"What do you want?" Diego asked, desperately trying to figure a way out. "If you start the fire, you will die too."

"I don't care! Without Myatana my life is worthless. Seeing you die is the last thing I want to do!" Quintana let the burning torch drop to the ground.

Diego lunged for it, but he couldn't prevent it from hitting the ground. Within seconds everything around him started to catch fire. Quintana started to scream as his clothing began to burn quickly from the burning liquid he had spilled everywhere.

Frantically,, Diego looked around. He was surrounded by fire. There was no way out.

Z~Z~Z

After her conversation with Diego, Victoria was deep in thought, concentrating so hard on her glass polishing that she only noticed his father by the bar when he addressed her.

"Victoria, have you seen Diego? I know he wanted to have lunch here, but I must have missed him," Alejandro looked around in the empty tavern with only one table still occupied where several caballeros were sitting with a full pitcher of wine talking quietly.

"Yes, he had lunch with Sergeant Mendoza, but he left a few minutes ago to go to his office," Victoria said.

"What's wrong, Victoria?" Alejandro asked, studying her expression. "Did you and Diego have another fight?" he guessed.

Victoria nodded guiltily. "Diego.., he was angry at me. His words made me think. I don't know,,,.," she shrugged helplessly.

"I wished you two would work it out," Alejandro said. "He loves you and you should make up your mind, Victoria. I think.." Alejandro stopped when there were loud shouts from the outside. "Fire! Fire!" The church bell began ringing the alarm.

Grabbing the nearest buckets, Alejandro and Victoria rushed outside, followed by the remaining patrons. The soldiers and other men in the plaza were forming a bucket line from the fountain in the center of the plaza to the burning building at the end of the street.

"Look! There's someone inside!" a soldier pointed at the large front window.

Shocked, Victoria stared in horror. Behind the burning window frame she saw a tall figure moving, raising the arms in agony, burning like a living torch. A moment later there was nothing more to be seen as the fire engulfed it completely.

"No! Diego, No!" she wailed. She wanted to run to him, but the soldier held her back, "There's nothing you can do. You can't get in there. The roof is about to collapse."

"Diego! Diego!" she yelled as she ran. They had to stop at a distance, because the wooden building that used to be the newspaper office was completely on fire.

Victoria felt something heavy at her arm and she noticed Don Alejandro sliding to the ground, his hand pressed to his chest. "Diego, my son," he whispered weakly.

"The doctor! We need the doctor!" Victoria yelled, as she crouched down beside Don Alejandro.

"The doctor! Quickly! Help!" A couple peons picked up the cry and one of the soldiers ran toward the doctor's office.

"Don Alejandro, Don Alejandro, the doctor will be here any minute. You must stay awake," Victoria urged him, holding his hand. "Please, you must stay strong!"

"Diego, my son," Alejandro whispered. "The flames..."


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Over the crackling of the fire Diego heard Toronado's piercing whinny and he whistled for Toronado to come to his rescue. Through the flames he saw the horse approach, but the animal's instinct kept it away from the fire.

"Toronado! Toronado!" Diego yelled, though the knew it was hopeless. The horse wasn't able to get to him.

Suddenly, there was a loud crash. Toronado had used his massive body against the tough outside the back wall and caused it to crash into the wall, breaking the wall open. The water from the trough provided a small opening in the fire and Diego jumped.

Landing hard on the ground he remained still for a moment as he exhaled the smoke, taking a deep breath. Looking up, he noticed the boots of a soldier, stopping near him and crouching by his side.

"Don Diego? Are you all right? How did you escape?" The soldier asked.

"I'm all right," Diego coughed as the soldier helped him up.

Z~Z~Z

While the doctor treated Don Alejandro, Victoria became aware of what was happening around her. The soldiers had abandoned their efforts to extinguish the fire after the roof had collapsed, focusing instead on keeping the fire from spreading to other buildings.

A soldier at the back of the burning building was yelling. "Over here! Someone escaped!"

Then there was some commotion as people gathered nearby, cheering.  
"Don Diego, he's alive!" A soldier came running with the news. "He escaped the fire!"

"How?" she asked, confused, but then she started to run.

Surrounded by soldiers and other helpers, Diego wiped his face and hands, removing the soot that covered him all over. Gratefully, he accepted a cup of water that Mendoza handed him, choking between sips.

"Drink slowly, Don Diego. You breathed in a lot of smoke," Mendoza said.

"Diego, you're alive! I thought you were dead!" Victoria cried, as she rushed to him. "Your father and I, we saw you die! He broke down when we believed you dead."

"Victoria?" Diego put his arms around her, as she started crying at his chest.

"I thought I had lost you," she sobbed. "I'm so sorry about what I said to you! Please forgive me! I can't lose you."

"Victoria!" It was all he managed to say. Holding her close, he couldn't suppress the shaking of his body. He had never been so close to death before and all he wanted was to hold her as he buried his face at her shoulder.

"Are you all right?" Victoria asked, concerned.

Diego tried to nod though every breath felt like breathing fire as his lungs were still filled with smoke.

"My father, where is he?" he coughed after a moment.

"Near the fountain. Doctor Hernandez is treating him," Victoria said under tears.

Putting his arm around Victoria's shoulder, Diego walked over to Doctor Hernandez who was kneeling by his father. "How's he?" Diego asked, alarmed, crouching down beside them.

"Diego?" Alejandro opened his eyes when he heard Diego's voice. "You're alive? I thought you were dead." A tear rolled down his face.

"Your father had a heart attack," the doctor explained. "I've given him a strengthening potion, but he should rest now. Are you injured, Don Diego?" the doctor asked, pointing at his upper left arm where a gash could be seen.

"It's just a scratch," Diego shrugged it off.

"I'll have a look at it after we move your father to your hacienda," the doctor insisted. "And you need to rest as well after you breathed in so much smoke."

"How could you escape the fire, Don Diego?" Mendoza asked, joining the group. "We saw you burn." He shuddered. "It was horrible to watch."

"Toronado saved me," Diego said, wiping his face while he tried to overcome the shock. "It was terrible," he whispered. "There was fire everywhere, and I couldn't escape. Then Toronado crashed against the trough at the back of the office. If he did it alone or had the help of the other horses, I don't know. The trough broke through the wall and the water extinguished the fire for a short moment, so I jumped through the opening it created."

"My men found a dead man near the door when they tried to save you. If you escaped, who died in the flames?" Mendoza asked. "And why was Toronado there?"

Diego looked at the sergeant for a moment, then he made up his mind as he answered slowly. "It was Zorro who died. He came to talk to me and then the fire broke out. Toronado must have tried to get to his master, but he couldn't save him." Diego knew that everyone was staring at him.

"Zorro died?" Mendoza said, shocked. "Zorro was my friend. I can't believe he's dead. It's so sad."

"But, but..," Victoria stammered, as she tried to make sense of it.

"I'll explain it all at home," Diego whispered in her ear. Out loud, he said gently, "Are you coming, Victoria?"

Victoria simply nodded, while she stayed close to him.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

The doctor accompanied them to the hacienda and took care of his patients. He ordered Alejandro to rest and sleep, administering a sleeping potion, watching over him while Diego took a bath to get rid of the soot and dirt. Afterward he bandaged Diego's arm.

Diego's clothes had been ruined by the fire, but except for the gash on his arm and some missing hair at the side of his head, he was unharmed.

Victoria gently embraced him in the library where she had been waiting for him. "Diego, it was so terrible today. When I thought you were dead, I realized that all our fights were so petty compared to the possibility of losing you. I love you, and I can't live without you."

"I love you too, Victoria. I'm sorry about lying to you. I want nothing more than to live with you at my side." Diego enclosed her in a tight embrace, not wanting to let her go.

"I want that too, Diego," She rose to her toes to kiss him and Diego responded passionately, his emotions still in turmoil after the events of the afternoon.

"I think it's good that we are already married," he whispered when they drew apart to catch their breath again.

"I agree," she smiled happily. When Diego bent down to kiss her again, she untangled herself from his arms and pulled him to the couch, motioning for him to sit down beside her."Tell me first what happened today. We both know that it wasn't Zorro who died. Who was it and how did your office catch fire?"

"Do you remember Ricardo Quintana?" Diego asked.

"Yes, he came to Los Angeles with his lover Myatana who pretended to be a medium who spoke with the dead. They were arrested when you revealed their cheating and he later came back to kill everyone who he deemed responsible for the death of Myantana in prison." Victoria trembled. "We would all be dead if you hadn't been able to extinguish the bomb's fuse just before it was about to explode and kill us all."

"Apparently, Ricardo was able to escape from prison and he came back again. This time I was his sole focus. I thwarted his schemes twice, and all he cared about was killing me," Diego explained.

"When I went into my office, he had hidden in the wardrobe and waited until I had closed the front door behind me to spring out of the closet and confront me. Then he told me he had planned my death by setting the office on fire and lighted a torch. Before I came, he had already soaked everything in oil to make sure it would burn easily. I tried to argue with him, but he was mad. He didn't care that he'd die too if he ignited the fire. I wanted to catch the burning torch before he dropped it, but I was too late. The moment it touched the floor, everything went up in flames. There was no escape," Diego remembered in horror.

"It was terrible to see the office burning when I knew you were inside," Victoria said, as she squeezed his hand. "Was it was Ricardo we saw burning?" Victoria asked.

"Yes. When he prepared my office with the oil, he must have been careless and spilled some of it over himself. He started to burn at once with everything around me. I tried to help him, but nothing could be done," Diego explained.

"What did you do?"

"I tried to escape, but the flames engulfed me. I heard Toronado who was still behind the office from the morning when I came into to town as Zorro. I tried to call him, but like all animals he's afraid of fire. Instead of coming for me through the fire, he drove with full force against the water trough that was attached to the back wall. The trough broke through the brittle burning wall and the water extinguished the fire momentarily, so I could jump out through the opening," Diego said.

"I can't believe you were able to escape this," Victoria said, shocked. "You'd be dead if it hadn't been for Toronado."

"Yes, I still don't know how Toronado managed to overthrow the trough," Diego wondered. "I think he somehow managed to get the other horses to join him in the effort. I didn't know what else to do but to call for him, hoping that he could come to me and help me."

"Toronado is a marvelous horse," Victoria agreed. "But I don't understand why Toronado was still in the pueblo."

"I didn't have time to return to the hacienda and change or I would have been late for lunch with Mendoza. So I changed in my office and planned to ride back to the cave as Zorro after lunch. Toronado likes being in the pueblo and I had the trough installed at the back of my office, so he could drink there without being seen when Zorro went to the pueblo," he explained. "Come," Diego stood up and pulled her with him. "I haven't thanked him yet and I need to check on him."

Holding Victoria's hand, he opened the door to the cave and led her through the fireplace. Inside the cave Felipe was busy taking care of Toronado. Felipe turned around when they heard them enter. Signing quickly, he asked Diego about any injuries from the fire.

"I'm all right," Diego acquiesced Felipe, giving him a short account on the events. "I wanted to check on Toronado after he had saved me." Diego stroked Toronado's neck and handed him a treat. The stallion thanked him by nuzzling Diego's head.

"Is this your hideout?" Victoria stopped at the top of the stairs to look around while Diego headed for Toronado who was munching his hay that Felipe had stacked for him.

"Yes, this is where I do my experiments and store Zorro's things. Have a look, but don't touch anything please. When I was developing my time-delayed bombs, Felipe activated one accidentally by lifting it despite my order not to touch it. Fortunately, nothing happened except for a loud explosion. Now he heeds my orders not to touch anything."

Felipe made a face at Diego's recounting as he didn't like to be reminded of his mistake.

Diego checked Toronado's chest for injuries from the impact with the trough and Felipe explained that Toronado's gear was damaged by the impact, but Toronado only suffered from a bruise, because the gear had prevented Toronado from getting a major cut. Felipe had treated Toronado but hadn't been able to figure out how this had happened, but it made sense now after Diego had told him about the trough. Finished with his work in the cave, Felipe left them alone, signing that he would check on Diego's father.

After Felipe had left, Diego walked over to Victoria who had wandered around in the cave and explored its contents, taking care not to touch anything as Diego had warned her.

"Satisfied with your curiosity?" Diego asked, embracing her from behind.

"It will be a long time until you will be finished with your explanations," she smiled, turning around in his arms. "But now I have a lifetime to ask them."

"A lifetime?" Diego grinned. "No more plans for an annulment?"

"How can I ask for an annulment if my husband is dead? You told Mendoza that Zorro died today. Would you mind consoling me in my grief over the loss of Zorro?" she suggested.

"I think I don't mind at all," he smiled, taking her hint. "We can now marry again officially and have a big party."

"I don't care for a big party. I want to be your wife openly as soon as possible."

"I don't think anyone will be surprised after you threw yourself into my arms today on the plaza."

"Then we don't have too much to explain," Victoria said. "You don't like explanations, do you?"

"Only when it's necessary," Diego admitted. "I'll talk with the padre tomorrow and explain to him who is going to get buried in Zorro's grave," he promised, "and I don't want to waste any more time either. Life is too short for that."

"You need to rest and recover after you breathed in so much smoke," Victoria said, noticing his strained expression as he rubbed his temples.

"I have a headache from the smoke," he admitted, "but I don't want to be alone now. It was so terrible when I was trapped in the fire." Diego drew her in his arms, holding her tight as he remembered the moment he thought he would die.

"And I won't forget the moment when I thought I saw you die," Victoria shuddered in his arms. "I need to touch you to know that you're alive."

"I'm tired but I don't know if I can sleep with these images on my mind," Diego said.

"If I stay with you, will you rest as the doctor recommended? He left you a potion against the headache and it should help you to sleep too."

Diego nodded in agreement. "I think we can try that." Taking her hand, he led her out of the cave.

Z~Z~Z

Diego was already in bed when Victoria entered his room after she had checked on his father first. "Your father is still sleeping and he's recovering as the doctor predicted," Victoria assured Diego on his inquiry. "There's no need for you to worry at the moment and Felipe will check on him too."

Victoria wanted to sit down on a chair near Diego's bedside, but Diego had other plans. "Just let me hold you for a while," he said as he pulled her onto the covers of the bed and into his arms.

"I don't know if I can sleep right now," Victoria said, but she put her head on his chest. Listening to his heartbeat calmed her down, making her sleepy, and they both fell asleep soon.

When Diego woke up again, Victoria was no longer beside him, but then he felt her hand in his. Looking up, he saw her sitting in the chair beside his bed.

"I couldn't sleep any longer," Victoria explained, as she smiled at him.

"What time is it and how long have you been sitting there?" Diego inquired.

"It's about dinner time and I have been sitting here for some time while you were sleeping."

"What did you do all this time?" Diego asked.

"Watching you sleep," Victoria smiled.

"Didn't you get bored?"

"I won't get bored watching you sleep for the rest of my life, because it means that you're alive and beside me," Victoria said, bending down to kiss him.

Diego put his arm around her, pulling her closer. "Will you stay with me after dinner? I'm feeling much better now after this rest."

"I'll stay with you after dinner and as long as you want me," Victoria whispered.

"Then we'll start the rest of our lives after dinner," Diego grinned, kissing her passionately.

* * *

 _ **A/N:** Except for a short epilogue which I'll try to put up the next days, this story is finished. I want to thank all my readers and reviewers, especially my beta reader who is facing the storm in Florida now. I hope everyone from there stays safe and does not lose power so we can stay in contact._  
 _My beta suggested some changes to this chapter, as she believed Diego needed some rest after the fire, so I added the final scene which is unbetaed._  
 _I have the next story already in progress and betaed. I will start posting it after this one is complete. I haven't forgotten Lost Hope either, but I still need to write the final chapter which is next on my list._


	13. Chapter 13 Epilogue

**Epilogue**

The next morning Alejandro felt much better again, after he had slept most of the previous day and all through the night. Though the doctor had recommended staying in bed, he joined Diego and Victoria for breakfast. Noticing the relaxed atmosphere between them and that they were holding hands all the time, he smiled happily.

"Diego, I still don't know what happened yesterday during the fire, but I believe you owe me some explanations."

Diego recounted how Ricardo Quintana had tried to kill him and how Toronado had saved him.

Alejandro shook his head wonderingly. "It's a miracle you escaped, son! It was horrible to see that fire when I believed it was you who died. Don't you ever die on me, Diego," Alejandro pledged him. "I haven't slept a single night since you told me you are Zorro."

"Zorro's days are over," Diego assured his father. "When Mendoza asked me about the body his soldiers found in my office, I told him that Zorro had died."

"Does it mean you giving up Zorro?" Alejandro asked, relieved.

"Yes, and it's even better," Victoria smiled. "Now that Zorro is officially dead, Diego and I can get married officially."

"And it will be as soon as possible," Diego added, kissing Victoria's hand.

"I only hope there won't be any problems with the annulment I asked for," Victoria said concerned.

"Don't worry about that," Alejandro grinned. "I talked with the padre and he agreed to hold back the application for the annulment."

"You made the padre hold back the annulment?" Victoria said angrily. "How could you do that without even telling us?"

"I was sure you two would make up again if you only had more time to think about it. I didn't know it would take something so dramatic as seeing Diego die, but I was right in the end wasn't I?" Alejandro said smugly. "And now we need to make plans for your official wedding."

THE END


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